We now have to find a new van, replace the 4 carseats that were in the van (already re-purchased 3, still need to get the 4th replaced... it was my niece's seat and she is rarely in the car with us, so there's no rush on that one)

Hopefully, all before I give birth to this baby!

You can't see Keelin's seat in the 3rd row.

Thank goodness she wasn't in the car.

I can't imagine how badly she could have been hurt.

It actually hurts my heart to think about.

Her seat will be trashed- no seat that has been in an accident should ever be reused.

The integrity is compromised.

The baby's brand new seat (new in the box) was in the trunk.

It can never be used.

Jackson was rear-facing in his seat.

He is the only one of us that isn't in pain.

The EMT that examined me and Jackson told me that Jackson would have likely sustained serious spinal damage had he been forward facing (and that Keelin would probably have been injured had she been in the car, just because of how we were hit, even though she would have been in a 5 point harness)... that he wishes more parents would be mindful of the fact that forward facing is NOT a milestone- rear face to the MAX. It can truly save your preschooler's life.

By the way, Jackson is 27.2lbs, 35" tall, and almost 31 months old.

Here is my little guy playing while we waited for Tim to come back for us with the rental vehicle.

(Serious kudos to the folks at Rice Toyota in Greensboro, NC for looking out for us after the accident while Tim took care of getting us something to drive home.)

He went and got our rental, bought a new carseat for Jackson, came back to get me and the little guy, then we went and bought a new carseat for Keelin and a new carseat for Finn.

On the other hand, our rental isn't big enough to fit 3 carseats (it's a Jeep Grand Cherokee), so we really need to work out some details before I go into labor. hehe

We had just gotten his hair cut.

Looks like a different boy!

So poor Jackson...

This weekend, he got stitches, got a haircut, got into a wreck, and STILL never got to go see Cars 2.

We took him to Urgent Care, hoping they would tell us a little Dermabond (purple superglue, basically) would do the trick.

No such luck, due to the placement of his injury.

My teeny love had to get 4 stitches.

I will NEVER forget how horrific it was to watch Tim have to hold him down, all the while him screaming, "Help me, Mommy!" He begged me to go get the car and take him home. I wasn't sure what to do with myself, so I tried not to cry or barf, wiped his tears and tried to distract him with mindless chatter.

He screamed and cried so hard while they were stitching him up that he burst blood vessels all around his eyes. They're just now starting to look somewhat normal.

It was a helpless feeling.

Talk about feeling like the worst mom in the world...

when they beg you for help and you knowing that what is terrifying them is what's best for them.